Stabbing case lingering in court one year later

The court case against a Valdez man accused of stabbing another man seven times outside of a bar in the late summer of 2013 is still winding its way through court.

A calendar call in the case of the State of Alaska vs. Robert Goldstein is set for this Tuesday.

Goldstein has been out on bail since September of 2013 after he was jailed and charged with a single count of felony assault in the first degree and a second count of assault in the third degree. A grand jury later issued indictments against Goldstein alleging three counts of first degree assault, one count of third degree assault, and a single count of misconduct involving a controlled substance in the fourth degree.

The indictment says Goldstein was in possession of methamphetamine at the time of his arrest, a class C felony.

In the original complaint filed in Valdez court against Goldstein, police said the victim suffered seven knife wounds to the face and upper torso, including at least one wound that punctured a lung.

Police later said in a press release that the victim was uncooperative and was tasered.

“The stabbing victim was uncooperative and hostile towards first responders attempting to care for his wounds, requiring the deployment of a (sic) taser,” police said at the time. “Valdez Fire Department personnel then undertook life saving procedures on a still combative patient.”

Charging documents say Raymond Fowler, who was the bouncer for the Gold Rush Saloon at the time, called police at 2:40 a.m. on August 31, 2013, stating a patron had been stabbed on the south side of the building.

Responding officers, Jess Gondek and Sgt. Kalin King, “witnessed two white male adults lying on the ground covered in a large amount of blood.”

Fowler was restraining Goldstein when police arrived.

Goldstein, age 35 at the time of the incident, suffered what charging documents described as a paper cut type wound to the face, a swollen mouth, a possible bloody nose and scrapes to his knees.

Police also recovered a three-and-a-half by one-inch folding knife on the scene, which they allege is consistent with the stab wounds suffered by the victim.

The charging documents also stated that Fowler told police Goldstein and the victim “had gotten into a scuffle” approximately 15 minutes before police were called.

“The scuffle was broken up and both persons were made to leave from opposite exits,” police said.

Fowler told police that he saw Goldstein leave the premises, but later returned towards the bar. He stated he heard the assault after he lost sight of Goldstein.

Both Fowler and the victim identified Goldstein as the assailant, who allegedly began the attack while the victim was urinating in bushes outside the bar.

Judge Dan Schally set Goldstein’s bail at $20,000, cash or corporate, with a third-party custodial requirement. Bond was posted on Goldstein’s behalf in September, 2013.

Schally also issued standard release requirements, including a prohibition against Goldstein contacting the victims. He was also restricted to remain inside the boundaries of the third judicial district, which includes Anchorage.

A number of bail modification hearings have been held in the year since Goldstein was released.

A change of venue request to have the trial moved out of Valdez was denied last March.

A jury trial had been calendared for last May, which online court records say was set in error. The move came after a number of hearings were held before and after the May date, presumably in preparation for a jury trial.